Education &
Youth Programs
Over the past 20 years, we have provided free educational opportunities to a variety of groups with the goal of cultivating community stewardship. Our current education initiatives feature a hands-on approach to learning, allowing students to get out of the classroom and learn new skills. In spring of 2023, we worked with over 100 middle and high school students to clean up more than 600 lbs. of debris (litter, invasive species, etc.) in the Greater Cincinnati area.
WorkForce Development
KCB is excited to announce a new workforce development pathway in partnership with Cincinnati State’s Landscape Horticulture Department: Roots to Boots. Through this program, recent graduates of Cincinnati area public schools can earn a college certificate while gaining hands-on experience in the sustainable horticulture field. Participating students will receive tuition reimbursements and a monthly stipend. For more information about our workforce development initiatives, please reach out to the Environmental Education Manager (kirsten@keepcincinnatibeautiful.org).
The Roots to Boots application for the '25-'26 cohort will open on Monday, December 2nd. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until Friday, May 2nd. After acceptance into the Roots to Boots program, KCB staff will help students apply to Cincinnati State. Please reach out to KCB staff if you need assistance with your application.
Current seniors and recent graduates of the following school disctricts are eligible to apply:
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Cincinnati
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Deer Park
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Finneytown
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Forest Hills
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Indian Hill
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Lockland
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Loveland
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Maderia
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Mariemont
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Milford
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Mount Healthy
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North College Hill
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Northwest
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Norwood
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Oak Hills
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Princeton
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Reading
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Southwest
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St. Bernard
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Sycamore
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Three Rivers
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Winton Woods
Keep Cincinnati Beautiful is committed to growing a skilled and diverse workforce of greenspace professionals who are committed to building and caring for our public spaces across the city but we need your help!
Are you a corporate partner or individual interested in sponsoring a student through our pilot workforce development programming? Send an email to our Development Manager, Samantha Shattuck at samantha@keepcincinnatibeautiful.org to learn more.
Tree the Crc
Our Tree the CRC initiative supports the 2023 Green Cincinnati Plan to increase equity of the urban tree canopy. Tree planting will focus on Cincinnati Recreation Centers and playgrounds in areas of the city that are currently under the 40% the Green Cincinnati Plan seeks to maintain. If you or your students are interested in helping increase tree canopy across Cincinnati, complete the form below to get in touch with our Applied Learning Coordinator, Caroline Cain.
Students will gain:
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hands-on understanding of the heat island effect
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green workforce skills and knowledge
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a first-hand look into community collaboration
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service hours for graduation seals
Cultivating Stewardship
KCB cultivates connection between people, passion, and place. Our Education program seeks to nurture good stewards of our shared public spaces that are committed to a vibrant and collaborative city and who inspire their neighbors to better care for these spaces . We hope these good stewards become future leaders in their communities who work alongside the city and community partners like KCB to envision and actualize a greener Cincinnati.
Our current offerings include a urban forestry initiatives, student litter clean-ups, cultivating stewardship classroom sessions, and pre-event information sessions for corporate sponsors. If you’re a student, teacher, or youth organization leader looking to host an event, please reach out to the Applied Learning Coordinator (caroline@keepcincinnatibeautiful.org).
Looking for an easy way to cultivate stewardship in your students? Check out our digital resources page! It includes book lists, work sheets, and other fun activities for getting youth involved in caring for their community!
